Staff Reporter
ITANAGAR, 14 May: Tashi Yangjom from Arunachal became the first person from the country to stand on the summit of Mt Everest this season.
Yangjom scaled the peak on 11 May at around 6 am after three days of climbing, starting from the base camp on 9 May.
“She returned safely to the base camp on 12 May,” informed NIMAS Director Col Sarfraz Singh.
Born to Tashi Letra and Passang Drema in 1993, Yangjom did her basic and advanced mountaineering courses at Dirang-based National Institute of Mountaineering and Allied Sports (NIMAS), of which she is also an instructor now.
“Regular training at NIMAS made her a strong mountaineer with blitzkrieg speed,” said Col Singh.
She is the ninth climber from the NIMAS and the fourth woman from Arunachal to scale Mt Everest, he said.
Yangjom was an active member of the NIMAS’ mountaineering expeditions to Mt Gorichen (6,488 mtrs), Mt Baisakhi and Mt Gorichen West, the NIMAS director said.
“She also represented the state in the first Indo-Bhutan adventure exchange (trekking, river rafting, cycling and rock climbing) programme, which was organized by the state’s youth affairs department in 2017,” former adventure cell in-charge of the youth affairs department, Romeo Meetei said.
Meanwhile, another mountaineer from Arunachal, Tajik Sorang, is all set to climb Mt Everest, Youth Affairs Director Ramesh Linggi said. “Sorang is currently in Nepal and is waiting for the nod for his summit bid,” he said.
Gov congratulates Yangjom
Governor BD Mishra has congratulated Tashi Yangjom for scaling Mount Everest, and said that she “has proved that the daughters of Arunachal Pradesh are tough, courageous, adventurous, enterprising and meritorious.”
He said her achievement would motivate other youths of the state to excel in their chosen fields.
The governor also commended the NIMAS. He said that the institute has achieved its objective of spotting talented youths and facilitating them in achieving the pinnacle of mountaineering.
The governor said that, as a youth icon, Yangjom must now work for creating awareness against the Covid-19 pandemic in the state.
“She must make a clarion call to motivate the people of the state to strictly observe the protocols for protection from coronavirus,” he said. (Raj Bhavan)
